Once More unto the breach
by n7kairos
Summary: The Normandy and its crew are flung across into the Halo Universe, where they must survive and find their direction, all the while fending off Covenant, ONI, Flood, and more.
1. Author's Note

**Hello, all. Welcome to Once More unto the Breach, my ME Halo Crossover.** **Before I begin, in case any of you are wondering, the title of the story refers to King Henry's Speach in Henry V by William Shakespeare - " Once more unto the breach, my dear friends..."**

First **, This fic will be updated every month or so.**

Second **, I expect and welcome criticism, but it is my humble request that every reader and reviewer respects each other and my own views, and not resort to racist, and derogatory language and comments. If any of you feel you must use such language to hurt someone or provoke, please don't comment on this story.**

Third **, Enjoy the story.** **Welcome Once again.** **N7 Kairos.**


	2. The Die is Cast

Normandy limped across the vast distance as it headed towards Noveria. The once beautiful painted hull was charred, there were sections that had deep gashes, carved by the powerful cannons of several Collector ships that had been trying to destroy it.

The turmoil was reflected in the crew, their long and tired faces, some crying over lost mates, others staring into the abyss with lost and clouded eyes. All of this Kairos Shepard saw and heard as he made his way to the CIC, where he had called the Team, those who were not in the med bay, injured and hanging on to their lives by the threads. It was a reminder that once more, they had been crushed, defeated. That once again, he had failed. That they had not been destroyed too like the previous Normandy, was due to three things only - the upgrades Shepard had made to the ship, sheer luck and Joker's skills. A bittersweet smile graced the corners of Shepard's mouth as he remembered the insane maneuvers the pilot had pulled, his equally skilled assistant, EDI, the ship's AI helping him, all the while firing at the collectors with the full arsenal of the ship. Thanix Cannons, Javelin torpedoes and secondary mass accelerator cannons had rained hellfire on the collector ships, destroying several , before Joker had managed to escape using the mass relay.

Shepard shook off the cobwebs of memory, continuing on to the CIC.

Entering, he found several of his team assembled already. Jack, Miranda, Garrus, Zaed and Thane was there. If Kasumi was there, she was keeping invisible. What drew his attention was that not all were present, a harsh reminder of his failure once more.

The team barely acknowledged him, a smattering of mumbled 'Shepard' and bleak nods his only greeting. Even the most blunt and forward of them, the ex- convict Jack was quite. Putting on a calm and collected face, something which he wasn't feeling inside, he addressed them,

' First things first, I'm aware right now that the situation is quite bleak, but it'll get better'

Jack snorted,' and how's that gonna happen? We got our asses handed to us. Half the crew are dead or about to die and we're adrift without any hope of help'

Shepard shook his head and replied ' No, we're not adrift and we are going to help ourselves, and as for the crew..' he paused to calm the knot in his stomach, clenching his hands, before continuing

' They are being treated, so all we can do is hope for the best. And if worst comes to worst, well... I'll deal with it '

Before anyone could interrupt, he asked Miranda - ' What's the status of the rest of the team?'.

' Tali, Samara , Grunt and Mordin are all injured, Recovering . Kasumi, i don't know where she is. And Legion is missing' She replied.

'I'll find and talk with Kasumi. And Legion is not missing. I sent him/ They on an important mission. They will meet us in Noveria once its done'

" And what are we to do now, other than visit Noveria, for whatever the reason it is we are going there?' asked Garrus.

' We are going to Noveria, for a complete refit. Once we are there, you'll all have shore leaves for as long as it takes for the refit, while I'll be going on a solo mission.'

His words at once set off the team.

' Shore leave?'

' Refit?'.

' What do you mean, solo mission'.

' Quite!'. Once the flurry of questions stopped, he answered ' All will be answered once we reach Noveria. But right now, I'm going to check on the rest of the crew, make sure the ship doesn't fall apart . You all have skills, I suggest you use them to help the crew. Dismissed'.

With that he left the room.

His first stop was the medbay.

Entering the Medbay, he found Dr Chakwas checking vitals, stitching up Donnelly's arm. At his entrance, Chakwas greeted him, saying 'commander' without looking from her work. Donnelly just nodded, being under considerable pain as well as Chakwas' gaze, who had most likely given her standard ' no moving or twitching without permission or hell to pay' warning .

In the rest of the bio beds were the rest of the away team, except for Tali, who was in the Safe room of the med bay, all except Samara unconscious. She was sitting, staring into the ceiling with a troubled look.

Seeing that, he went to talk to her

' Samara'

Turning her gaze towards him, she replied ' Commander'

' You look troubled Samara. What's the matter?'

She replied as she returned to staring at the ceiling

' I as a justicar. I am supposed to protect the weak and fight evil wherever i see it. Yet in the last battle, i not only could not fight the evil, but i failed in my duty to protect the crew around me. I was helpless even with all my experience. I watched several crew members die as one of the beams of a collector ship in the area impacted .'

' You did the best you could, just like everyone else today. Thinking about it won't change the fact that the crewmen are dead and not coming back. All we can do is to ensure that we destroy the collectors and make sure their deaths are not in vain'

' Wise words Shepard. Truly you are a leader'.

' I try. I'm putting together a list of upgrades we need. Send your suggestions to my private terminal . I'll talk to later'

' I shall try to think of useful upgrades'.

Shepard next went to Chakwas

' How's the crew doing , doctor ? ' he asked

' They're doing well, all things considering, except for the ones we couldn't save' her voice was heavy with sorrow.

' We got our arse handed to us, we did'. Donnelly interjected.

' Yes we did but we'll get back on our feet, and give them back twice as much, right in their daddy bags, Donnelly. I promise you that'.

' what about my team Karin?'

' They'll be fine once treatment is complete.

I should be the one asking you .You're yet to be checked up'

' I'm fine doctor. I have to go check up on the rest of the ship . Let me know when the rest of the team wakes up'

' I'll do that commander'.

Shepard's next stop was the cockpit. On his way, he checked up on Kelly and the rest of the crew on CIC , saw that they were in one piece and moved to the cockpit.

The cockpit was a mess. The consoles behind the pilot and co pilot seats were dead, sparking occasionally. The hits had also caused the co pilot console to turn dead, while the pilot console was barely functioning. Joker was on the seat, his hand constantly moving, correcting and maintaining the Normandy on its course to a safe dock.

Shepard enquired about the ship status' how's the Normandy, Joker?'

' Not good, Commander. Multiple systems are offline. We're barely functional '

' You did good, Joker. The fact that we came out of that alive is proof. '

' I know, fat lot of good it did'

' You took out several collector ships and got us out of an ambush that would have obliterated other ships. You did more than good'

' The commander is right. We engaged an enemy superior in both numbers and technology and came out alive. That proves that we did, as organics say, 'our best' this was from EDI, who was working to fix the co pilot console.

' How's the emergency repairs going, EDI?'

' Slowly. Due to the large amount of damage, multiple systems require our attention. I am prioritizing the repairs to the critical systems first. '

' Good. How's your platform?' EDI's platform was humanoid Mech platform which was far more advanced than even the best mechs in the rest of the galaxy or even the Cerberus Rampart Mechs that they had encountered in the facility where they found the platform. The platform was a Cerberus prototype made from a extremely durable and lightweight metal alloy that is capable of withstanding extreme temperatures and is fireproof. Even more, the outer layer of the platform had armor plating that was derived from Silaris heavy ship armor and thus was resistant to most small arms, upto light

machine guns and shrapnels and melee damage. The platform ran on a micro hydrogen fuel cell, similar to a Mako.

The platform also had built in abilities and mods. These included a extremely powerful kinetic barrier, a secondary hand held shield, similar to but more powerful than the ones used by the Rampart mechs, a holographic decoy mod that allowed upto 4 holographic decoys to be deployed and a built in omni tool with A powerful omni blade bayonet , again similar to the ones used by the Rampart Mechs, and several top notch mods, including incinerate, overload, sabotage, hacking modules, cryo blast among others.

The platform had built in thruster packs, and had a full knowledge of weapons, ships and several other useful fields.

Shepard thought EDI's platform was one of the most advanced in the galaxy. It would have probably been the most advanced, except for the geth, if not for the mechs he had contracted to be developed years ago, which were only now being finished, according to the report from Kcry Trek.

But no one else knew of that. They would though, once the mechs came on board. Shepard couldn't help but smirk inside, imagining the surprise of the crew as 100 mechs boarded the vessel, in perfect military formation.

Tali and several of the other crew would freak out. But that couldn't be helped. He was not going to the Collector home world without substantial force. Not anymore. That is why he had sent Legion to the True Geth to get the support that was promised. He needed as many number of fighters as possible.

' The platform is fully functional. I am calibrating it to make it more efficient. It would make it even more valuable as a asset '.

' I'll keep that in mind. Carry on, both of you'.

' Aye Aye Commander '.

' I will do so'.

Shepard left the bridge. He checked on the rest of the crew,before heading back to his cabin. Once inside he went straight to his terminal and sat down, switching on the private QEC. He had one last communique to make.

To _Admiral Steven Hackett_ _Fifth Fleet_ _Alliance Navy._ _Priority Comm Sword Classified._ _Hello Admiral,_ _I'll be out of communication range for the foreseeable future. Thus i decided to send this now. First, you'll find a Quantum encrypted data file with this. Code is the last hour of the Battle of Citadel, Earth Standard Time. Its encryption was done by my AI, so don't be a fool and try to trace it back to me._ _Second- I'm aware that you believe that Reapers are real. And I'm aware of your preparation for the eventuality of their coming ( if you still don't believe they'll come, get that fucking thought out of your mind. They are coming!). All your preparations are not enough. Mass Effect technology was built by the Reapers. They have the advantage, not to mention their size and numbers. First, size. Sovereign was just a cannon fodder. I don't believe anymore that he was the true vanguard anymore. By my estimate,based upon the data I've managed to collect ( see the file), an average Reaper would be about 2 kilometres in length. Harbinger would be about the double or maybe even triple that size. Now before you say it's impossible, read above. They built Mass Effect. They know what can be done. Even the Protheans were not as advanced._ _Next, numbers. The Reaper Harvest Cycle has been going on for about a billion years, every 50,000 years. That's an average of 100 or 1000 new Reapers every cycle, at least. The fact is, they have all the numbers they need. We don't._ _Now, here's how we can even the odds. First, screw all restrictions on AI, genetic engineering ( safe and voluntary ), and WMDs. Start pumping out nukes, ezo bombs, and whatever else you can think of. Also, rig some key relays to blow. They would work wonders for ambush. And the preparation you're making - fast track it . Every ship armed with at least a Thanix cannon could stand a chance._ _The coming war Admiral, won't be a quick one. Prepare accordingly._ _One more thing. I'm done with you Alliance and Citadel bullshit. As of this moment, both are persona non grata for me. I'll fight this war, but on my own terms._ _Pass on the data file to Citadel. Maybe you can negotiate something with them. Good Luck, Admiral._ _Kairos Shepard, signing off."_

He sent off the message with the data file and then pinged Joker.

" Yes, commander?" Joker asked over the intercom

" Send Miranda down to my cabin, and alert me when we reach Noveria"

" Copy that".

He took a blanket, and went to the sofa, curling up to wait for for Miranda.

Miranda Lawson was in deep thought. The subject matter of her thinking was the enigmatic reply that the resident gun toting commander had given to her enquiry.

Her musing was broken by the EDI

" Commander would like to see you in his cabin, Miss Lawson".

" Thank you, EDI". Without delay she went straight to the cabin, thinking about what crazy idea the Shepard was going to propose and then execute it like it was completely sane. That was his pattern after all.

Finding the door open, she went inside to find him fast asleep, curled up on the sofa. She woke him up gently and then sat down opposite him.

Shepard woke up to see Miranda sitting opposite him.

" Thanks for coming "

" That's alright. What can i do for you, Shepard?"

He got up and brought one of his private tablets.

" Here's what's going to happen once we reach Noveria. " He switched on the holoprojector, connecting it with his omni tool, then continued

" Once we get there, you'll all have shore leaves. No one will get to stay on the ship. No exceptions" he said firmly, looking straight at her. Seeing no objections, he started once again

" Like i said at the meeting, Normandy will get a complete refit and upgrade. It'll also be taking on considerable cargo and new crew. List is on the file" he sent the file to her omni tool.

Looking through it, Miranda's eyes widened in shock. Shepard had listed Raoli, Batarian, Geth, Mechs, and another AI as crew, not to mention the Kalros Company, a special force company of Krogans similar to Aralakh Company. Turning to the cargo manifest, she found herself even more surprised. There were WMDs listed on it.

Looking back at him, she asked the question that was topmost at her mind.

" Shepard, how did you manage all this? And how're you going to explain the presence of another AI , and a Geth platoon to Tali?"

" I'll deal with it. Worst comes to worst, we'll need a new engineer."

This was the third time she'd been surprised in the last five minutes. All who knew Shepard and Tali, knew they were close friends. She'd seen it in person. The man had faced down the entire Quarian admiralty to prove her innocence in a trial. Now here he was telling her that he was prepared to let her leave for a geth platoon and an AI. She didn't know how to respond to that, so she didn't. She moved on to the refit, only to find it wasn't there.

" The refits are classified to the crew until it's been done. That includes you. I can't afford any leaks."

Although it made sense, she was a bit hurt. She'd started opening up to him after he'd saved Oriana twice, second time killing her father, but he'd been closed off as ever. The man before her had a lot of secrets, as evident by the whole plan he'd just presented to her. Even he's friends didn't know much about him. His alliance file was mostly redacted, especially his birth details.

Shaking off her feelings, she said, " is that all, Shepard?"

" Yeah. " before he could say anything more,he was interrupted by Joker.

" Commander, we've reached Noveria".

The Normandy docked at the private docking bay of Krcy Trek. The crew and the team disembarked, and went on their way, while Shepard was escorted to a conference room deep within the facility.

Once he was inside, the escort left, and the room was sealed off. Inside the room was one of the strangest assortment of individuals, if not the most strangest, to be ever found on the galaxy in the same room, on the same side.

There was the Krogan Battlemaster, the Batarian Resistance captain, the Raoli Special force commander, the Volus Biotic captain, the genetically enhanced Vorcha, the Corporate head of a major corporation and what looked like a Geth Prime, except for the blue light instead of the red.

Entering, he greeted each of them in turn.

" Battlemaster Talyth, it is good to see you here"

" It is good to be here, Shepard. You helped find the information needed to rebuild the Vaul. For that, I'll fight to death for you. Same for my company. "

" How is the the rebuilding going? "

" Slow, having to sneak around the pyjak Salarians is hampering our efforts, but we're still ahead of schedule."

" Good, your people will need it".

Shepard turned to the Raloi next; " Captain Ar'Han. Glad you could make it "

The captain merely nodded. He was here to support his battle brother. Shepard and he had fought in his N7 years, and found him a good mate to have at his side.

Turning to the Batarian, he said " Morek, it is good to see you here"

" It is good Shepard, but I'm here to take you to the Resistance headquarters and the sooner we get there, the better.The Hegemony is on the war front. They've launched brutal attacks on every location they can" Morek stopped.

" I'll go. Don't worry. "

Shepard turned to the Vorcha, " Phobos. Good to see you here".

" Sah! Good to see you, Shepard."

He greeted the geth " Legion, i see you got an upgrade"

" Yes. This platform is custom built, a combination of our old platform and a Prime platform"

Finally, he greeted the corporate - " Krcys. Good to see you. I hope everything's in order"

Krcys Ytrekka, Ceo of Krcys Trek, had been watching the young commander as he greeted each of the room's occupant and his opinion of him had not changed. The commander had the same confidence as when he'd approached Krcys. Guess even death doesn't faze him.

" Everything is on schedule, Commander".

" Good." turning to the rest of the occupants, he asked, " Gentlemen, what's our strength?

" I've Kalros Company, 40 of the toughest Krogans you'll find in the galaxy" replied Talyth.

" Full squad. 24 RSD operatives " came the answer from Ar'Han

" Sah! Bane Regiment. 40 trained troops".

" We have 24 Primes and 16 Infiltration platforms on standby"

" I couldn't bring anyone except for my own squad. 6 troopers".

Turning to Krcys, he asked " Are the mechs ready"

" Yes. 200 mechs, Strike, Shield, Defender and Specialist, along with the 100 heavy combat mechs".

" Good. Here's what we're gonna do. Legion,I need 10 of your Primes, and 5 infiltration platforms. "

" We shall alert the frigate".

" Tylath, keep half of your company here to guard the facilities. Rest comes with us. Same goes for you, Ar'Han".

" Phobos, Bane Regiment is coming along".

" 100 mechs, divide it between each type" .

Once they acknowledged, he continued " we'll leave for the Batarian Resistance HQ, tomorrow. Get some rest, and prepare for heavy combat"

The occupants left, aside from Krcys and Shepard.

Turning to him, Shepard said " Now, tell me about the rest of the plan"

" The Tempest is ready, as are the new Mako and the Kodiak. Each has the best of everything money can buy. Including the Thanix cannons"

" Good. What about the arms? "

" Same, top tier gear, from assault rifles to heavy weapons, including the heavy machine guns. The Reezo has been utilised to build 12 WMDs, although they aren't tested. We also managed to make about 30 eezo enhanced fusion bombs. My scientists estimate yields upwards of 10 megatons. About 40 or so doomsday device based on an STG design utilising eezo has been made. Thanix cannons, missiles, Javelin torpedoes have been fully procured. Also, we've found a way to enhance the mass accelerator cannon rounds with Element Zero. Should give your cannons beyond average power."

" Good. I'll need it. What about the AI?"

" There has been a change in that programme "

" What change?"

" Recently, an ex N7, Alex Ryder made a new kind of AI, significantly more powerful and effective than normal AIs would be"

" What's different about the new AI?"

" It's a symbiote"

" You mean"-

" Yes. It functions by learning from the host's experience. In return, it can greatly enhance effectiveness of the host".

Shepard thought about it, and decided it was ultimately beneficial. He'd need every advantage he could get.

" What exactly will i need to be the host?"

" An operation to install a implant. The Alliance Admiral Steven Hackett has created the Pathfinder Initiative, and is equipping each Pathfinder Ship with one.. Your ship will house two cores, one for your Ship's AI, and one for the new one.The new AI, would be able to connect with your implant from the core.For now though, we'll limit it in a Quantum chip within the Omni tool, so that you can use it".

" Good. I'll like this to be done today".

" Very well, I'll inform the doctors. Next, the armour has been developed and our scientists are quite sure it'll work upto your standard. Same for the new omni tools and the other projects.

" Good. Then, that'll be all."

Shepard walked out of the hospital wing, he's head slightly buzzing. He'd been told the buzz would fade in an hour or so. The AI, SAM ( Simulated Adaptive Matrix) would be given to him before his departure tomorrow.

" Shepard!" He turned towards the sound of the resident thief, Kasumi.

" Kasumi".

" So, what's this about you heading to Batarian space?"

" You were there, weren't you?" He shook his head, more amused than annoyed. _At least she doesn't sneak into my cabin anymore._

" Maybe"

" Yes. I'm going. Now what do you want"

" I want to come with you. The bastards hunted Keiji through half the galaxy. He died a miserable death. I want payback" gone was her cheery self, replaced with a grim anger that made him shiver. Kasumi might be usually a cheerful self, but he'd seen her take down a gunship with acrobatics, a submachine gun and a omni tool. She was a deadly person to cross.

" Fine. Be at the dock tomorrow at 8 in the morning. "

" Thanks. Knew you wouldn't refuse me." She smiled once more, the usual cheery self back, before disappearing with her cloak.

Shepard went to his room and fell asleep, after setting the alarm for 2 hours before departure.

In the morning, Shepard met his new AI. A Quantum Omni tool replaced his standard, containing the AI.

As soon as he activated it, he felt a rush in his brain, the result of the implant connecting with the AI, before he heard it speak.

" Hello. I am your new SAM AI" the voice was male.

Shepard asked him " what's your name?"

" I don't have one. You may give me one if you wish."

" Everiss".

" Share.. apt somewhat."

" Glad you like it. Let's head to the dock, we've got a ship to catch".

The ship was an retrofitted Hensa class Cruiser. It had been the former ship of a small roving band of pirates. Now it was going to be their ticket through the treacherous Hegemony space into New Batarian Republic Space, New Batarian Republic being the government of the worlds which had broken away from the Hegemony and the few independent colonies within reach of Batarian Space.

On the Hull there was the Name, Carrack.

Shepard boarded the ship to find cargo and people loading into the ship. He quickly found the rest of his allies already abroad. Making sure they were settled, he made his way to the CIC, staying there till the ship left Noveria, before heading to his cabin on the ship to rest and wait till they arrived.

Volkgin is a garden world, deep inside the New Batarian Republic Space. It was also the capital of the Republic and quite well defended, with a mixture of retrofitted civilian ships, and refurbished old warships. It was also currently under siege. The Batarian Hegemony had launched a full scale invasion of the system, with dozens of cruisers and a single Dreadnought originally. The defenders had managed to destroy half the fleet, including the dreadnought, before retreating into a tight formation over the planets.

The Hegemony ships however had managed to land their ground troops on the planet and war waged across the planet while the Hegemony fleer continued to whittle down the defence fleet slowly.

It was into this situation that the Carrack arrived into the system. Seeing the condition of the battle, the ship maneuvered into position and brought to bear its mass accelerator cannons and the Thanix main gun on the Hegemony fleet's rear. At the same time, it released forty heavy shuttles carrying supplies and troops on a stealth course to the planet.

On one of the shuttles was Shepard, alongside Kasumi, Tylath and few of his krogans, over a dozen mechs and Legion.

Ar'Han was travelling with Morek and the Bane Regiment on another shuttle. They were headed to the HQ, to relieve the pressure on it, while the supplies made its way into the Republic lines.

Currently he was talking to Everiss through his implant. He'd been surprised to find that he could talk to the AI with his thoughts.

" How's the armour looking, Everiss?"

" It is fully functional. The combined armour plating of regenerative bio plate derived from the Collectors and hard plate similar to that of the Silaris Heavy ship armour provides protection not even matched by the heavy armours currently available in the galaxy.Microfiber inner layer and temperature and pressure controls help keep maximum effectiveness of the wearer far longer. Add in the nanocrystalline repair system derived and upgraded from your collector armour, you have the capacity to absorb damage far in excess of any human soldier. That is just one aspect. The built in shields derived from the previous Shadow Breaker's shields, geth shielding technology and CBT technology allows for a multi shield that is in essence, a vehicular shield.

The armour has built in nano Eezo cores that fuel your the built in Jetpacks, allowing for high altitude drops. Micro servos and force reactive circuits powered by the eezo cores increase your mobility. It has a built in Quantum omni tool, which is why I'm inside your armour now. Bio monitoring systems within the armour can inject medigel and adrenaline stims in time of emergency. Finally, there is a power cell in the back plate, that can either overpower your shields or channel more energy into your weapons, allowing for greater velocity shots."

" Good. Weapons check".

" Your Valkyrie assault rifle, the Blood Pack Punisher smg and the Sabre rifle is ready. The new Hydra missile launcher is also ready. Your two special Quantum combat drones are also ready. Have you thought about names for them?"

" Laertes and Aziza". He replied while checking the Valkyrie was ready to fire.

" Ten seconds to drop. LZ is hot. Hegemony ground forces are advancing rapidly". The pilot called out through the shuttle comm.

" Set us down at the nearest safe zone. We'll plug the holes in the defence". Shepard got up, then activated the turret on the side and started shooting.

The shuttle banked, as it avoided anti aircraft fire. Shepard fired on the Hegemony positions as the shuttle rapidly passed above them, before setting down at an forward defence command.

They disembarked. A Batarian soldier, holding a Vindicator battle rifle.

" You there. Command would like to see you" addressing Shepard.

" Legion, contact the Ar'Han and the Bane Regiment and tell them to meet us here. Start helping with the defences and see the status of the battle in space"

" We shall do so, Commander".

" Tylath, Morek with me. Kasumi, take the mechs and see if you can't sabotage some of the Hegemony's heavy weapons and armour".

" Alright Shep".

Shepard, Tylath and Morek went inside the command centre to find two Batarians looming over an old holographic display.

Seeing Shepard and company enter, they greeted them, some of their tension fading.

" What's the situation?"

" We're stretched. We're holding the line for now, but if we don't find a way to negate their heavy armour support, we're doomed. Its being led by SBU units from a command post."

" I've my allies working to reinforce the lines. Heavy weapons are being dropped off at safe zones. That should help. As for the SBU units, get me and my team close and we'll take care of that problem".

" I'll try my best. If you can take out the SBUs, they'll lose a major advantage."

" Just get us close. Any news on HQ?"

" They're safe for now. We've got an squadron of gunships and a tank platoon for its defence. Unless the Hegemony drops troops from orbit, that is. I'll inform them of your arrival. They'll be glad to know that one of their greatest benefactors has arrived".

They left the tent. " Tylath, muster your krogans. Morek, find a resistance scout team and muster them. Everiss, activate all encryptions and link me up with the Legion"

Tylath and Morek left on their respective assignments, while Everiss got Legion on the radio

" Shepard - Commander, I've gathered the rest of the units. All members are fully accounted for and we're on our way back to the Safe Zone."

" Good. Get here as fast as you can. We have a strike mission".

" We shall endeavour to do so". Legion signed off.

" Everiss, find me the M92 Cain shipment".

" It's on the south side of the camp".

Shepard went to the shipment and retrieved a Cain, replacing his missile launcher with it. The new Cain could fire up to three shots, increasing its effectiveness.

He met up with Legion, and the Bane Regiment. Ar'Han was also present.

" Phobos, Can you keep half your regiment here for reserves?"

" Sah! Yes, Sah!. As long as they get to fight."

" Good, deploy them on the defences."

" Legion, we'll take 2 primes, and 5 Infiltration platforms. Spread the rest across the conflict."

" We shall do so, Shepard Commander".

They met up with Tylath and Korlus Company, before heading to the shuttles that would take them to the closest Republic defence near the SBU unit.

Shepard made sure that each member of the strike force was carrying a heavy weapon and more than enough thermal clips.

The four shuttles stayed close to the ground, in an effort to avoid detection from orbit. The battle above was going well, the Carrack having destroyed two more cruisers, reducing the enemy fleet by half again.

The shuttle occupants checked their as they came close to the drop zone, a forward defence that was witnessing heavy fighting at the very moment.

As soon as the shuttles were in range, they started taking fire from hegemony ground forces.

Shepard started using the turret again, firing the machine gun at the Hegemony's forces. The rest of the shuttles followed.

As soon as they got a breather, the pilot opened the doors. Shepard jumped out, engaging his jetpack for a soft landing. Within the few seconds of his controlled fall, he could see with the help of his cybernetics the lay of the land.

The defence outpost was a small building, around which some trenches and barriers had been built. He saw two HMGs on the roof and two more up on the barriers. About sixty or so troopers were manning the trenches and the barriers. Among them were a few biotics, who were mostly stationed to defend the machine guns.

Against this was the Hegemony's forces of M 66 Grazli tanks, armoured vehicles and Batarian gunships.

He dropped down, Valkyrie in hand, followed quickly by Legion and the rest.

" Legion, Phobos, take the Cains, and start hitting those tanks. Rest of you focus fire on the gunships and IFVs. Morek, with me"

Shepard, followed by Morek went inside the building, to find it a mess. On one side, the partitions had been destroyed to make way for an infirmary, which was now overflowing with patients with various wounds, mostly severe. On the other side was the small command centre.

Shepard went to the man in charge, a lieutenant from the looks of it

" We're here to take care of your SBU problem"

" You're the strike force?" The Batarian looked up from his work.

" I'm leading it. The rest of them are outside, using the heavy weapons to take out the armour and gunships".

" Good. We could use the help. Now, what do you need from me?"

Shepard brought up a map of the area on his omni tool.

" I need your some of your troops to charge here"- pointing at a weak point in the Batarian lines, a small gap between the ruins of the next town. The surrounding area was heavily fortified, and there was heavy fighting on the path to the area.

" My troops will get killed if they attempt that. I'm not sending my troops to charge unless they have support".

" They'll have their support. While they attempt to break through that weak point, we'll sneak in using this line"- pointing at one of the ruins on the edge of the Batarian lines that wasn't well defended, being well away from all the fighting - " and hit them from the flank."

" If you can get in. The area is mined and they'll have the area patrolled. That won't be a problem. Gather whatever troops you can in an hour and have them advance to the position. "

 _Everiss, what's the status of the Carrack?_

 _The Carrack has sustained heavy damage but is functional. The Hegemony fleet is retreating._ _Is its mass accelerator cannons still functioning?_ _Yes. They are._ _Alright, i need you to send them the coordinates to the heavy hegemony force concentrations for a orbital strike._

 _I will do so. Miss Kasumi is contacting you._

Put her through.

" Kasumi, what's your status?"

" Under heavy fire… SBU … ambush… need help" her voice broke off .

 _Damn it! Everiss get a fix on her location, and tell the Carrack to start hitting those bastards now!_

" Tylath, Legion, Ar'Han. Come in. What's your status?"

" Shepard! This is glorious. I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Take that, you pyjak!" - Shepard heard a loud whump followed by a massive explosion. Seems Tylath is putting the Cain to good use. Then again He's Krogan. Comes with the territory

" I'm at the north end of the outpost, along with the krogans."

" I need you to rendezvous with me at the shuttles. We've got our opening"

" I'll be there soon"

" Shepard - commander, we'll be reach the shuttles momentarily"

" Good".

" Sah! We'll come soon, Shepard".

" Same." That was Ar'Han.

 _Shepard, I've located Miss Kasumi. She's near our opening, but the area is witnessing heavy fighting._ _Direct the nearest republic unit to relieve her until we get there. What about the Carrack?_ _I've contacted the captain of the ship and convinced him to provide the orbital strike. It shall be done momentarily._

The Carrack was armed with 45 mass accelerator canons as its broadside. Along with its defence grid and its Thanix cannon, it was one of the most powerful ships in the hands of the Republic.

Captain Felldor stood on the bridge as the ship positioned to carry out an orbital strike, an order that had the bridge crew look askance before complying.

He himself was worried. Orbital bombardment was banned under the Council treaties. While this being non citadel space, they wouldn't have to worry about such council retaliation, but the tradition of not using orbital strikes had been carried over. It simply wasn't done. It would also set a precedent on their use by the Hegemony, who could respond to any Citadel inquiry simply by stating they, the Republic had used it first.

Now as he watched, the ship got into position.

" Captain, mass accelerators are primed and ready to fire. Targets are locked in."

" Fire".

The Carrack fired each of its broadside cannons in volleys, 1 per 6 second for a total of 5 rounds in a 30 second barrage.

The 225 projectiles, each a 1.7 kg round of metal travelling at a speed of Mach 3 streaked through the sky, having slowed down considerably from re-entry, and hit the targets one after another.

Shepard watched as well over a hundred streaks came down from the sky, before disappearing into the horizon.

The Hegemony forces didn't even have the chance to react. Except for the heavy troop concentrations near the frontlines, and the one near captured civilians, every major stronghold was pounded into dust. Their high command was pounded by well over 60 projectiles. Conversely, a large majority of hegemony forces, including the SBUs survived having been deemed to near civilians or Republic forces to be hit by orbital strikes.

Commander, the Carrack says good effect on target. Hegemony offensives have been halted. Republic forces are as beginning to regroup. A small unit has managed to reach Miss Kasumi's position but they're unable to retreat due to continued attacks by SBU units.

Tell her to hold on. We'll reach her soon.

I shall. The Batarian units are ready to charge. However the area surrounding it is still heavily fortified.

Tell the Carrack to hit them with a round. Danger close fire.

Very well.

Shepard regrouped with his allies. As they boarded the shuttles, they heard a sonic boom. Looking up, Shepard saw the round fall rapidly, and then disappear. This was followed by a explosion, followed by a massive shockwave.

" Let's move out." He strapped in, as the shuttles took off.

Shepard aimed his rifle at the Hegemony soldier and pulled the trigger, killing him instantly.

Immediately the rest of his unit started firing, moving from cover to cover.

Repositioning, he started taking headshots at squad leaders, while the others advanced.

The well trained hegemony soldiers reacted by spraying concentrated fire, using the covers while others rained down grenades.

Charging through the incoming fire, Tylath and his soldiers closed in, before tossing frag grenades. The resulting explosion killed a few of them..

Shepard ducked as a round hit him.

 _Sniper. 2 o'Clock, low._

Shifting his aim, he sighted on the sniper, and squeezed off a couple of rounds. The first missed. The second didn't. The round penetrated the enemy sniper, then pierced his skull below his top eyes, killing him instantly.

Shepard switched to his Valkyrie and jumped off the top of the roof, deciding to join the main force. Once near ground he fired his jetpack to slow him down for a soft landing.

He charged forward, channeling more power into his suite's shields to withstand any stray round. Sighting down the Batarian line, he fired off his two drones into the line, and simultaneously fired a chain overload.

The chain overload hit them first, shorting out their shields. Tylath and his men were quick to take advantage of the weakness. They charged with the their claymores, using their heavy armour and weight as a battering ram to push through the line, killing and crushing any one foolish enough to get in their way. The rest were slowly mopped up by the drones, firing Incinerate, Cryo, carnage, overload and sabotage.

Shepard linked up with the rest the his unit as they pushed forward.

Using his suite's rangefinder sights, he fired his rifle, moving from cover to cover. Seeing a trooper in heavy armour, he fired a carnage at the trooper, then charged. The now disoriented trooper, having been hit by the carnage, couldn't move fast enough as he closed in and shot him in the head repeatedly, killing him.

He moved forward again, killing two more troopers at a run, before getting into cover as he came under fire.

 _Everiss what's the status of Bane Regiment?_

 _Phobos reports that the guns are online, although they cannot retreat due to a counter attack._ _See if you can get a gunship out there. One here wouldn't be amiss too_

Taking out a frag, he activated it before throwing it straight at the target, a heavy machine gun platform. The explosion destroyed the gun, and killed off its crew.

He moved forward, towards his destination, joined by Tylath.

After fighting through a couple of hundred metres more, he came upon his friends location.

Kasumi Goto did not like fighting openly. While she could fight and often did, it was through sneak attacks. Thus why she was cursing whatever she could think of, as she took cover behind the mobile barrier.

She winced as the rounds passed overhead or slammed into the barrier. Clutching her M12 Locust, she fired over the barrier, using the sound from the incoming gunfire to judge the location of the hegemony troops.

The response was immediate. Gunfire started again in her direction, followed by a rocket. The rocket destroyed the barrier, throwing her away.

A geth pulled her into cover, activating its geth shield to cover both of them.

" Unit - Kasumi, are you functional?"

" Yeah, I'll be fine." She said, trying to clear her head.

The Batarian who had fired the rocket aimed at the geth, only for his head to be shot off.

At the sound of the rifle, the geth shifted it's head to find Shepard and the rest charging the Batarians from behind.

" Unit - Kasumi. Unit - Shepard and allies have arrived." It informed her as it kept firing at the enemy.

" About damn time. " she aimed her locust and squeezed of a burst of round, using the incendiary ammo.

The Hegemony squad was just repositioning when the rounds struck. While their shields absorbed some of the damage, enough penetrated through to cause severe enough burns to kill or maim them.

Kasumi shifted to fire only to find most of the

opposition dead, and the few remaining being taken down by Shepard and the krogans.

Once he'd completed mopping up the last opposition in the immediate area, Shepard made his way over to her.

" You alright?"

" I'm fine, Shep."

" Where's the rest of the Geth?"

" Spread out. There's a lot of space to cover. The few that were here didn't make it".

" Damn it. " Shepard shook his head. While he'd expected casualties, the geth would only provide so many platforms. That wasn't to mention the fact that too much geth activity could alert the STG.

" Alright, let's move out. The sooner we hit that command post, the better."

" You got it, Shep."

Everiss, tell Bane Regiment to rendezvous at the location.

I will Shepard.

The SBU was the Hegemony's special forces. They were deadly, having the reputation for being the most brutal and unrelenting of all special forces in the galaxy. The STG might have the best tech and equipment, but the SBU never stopped hunting.

Currently, the SBU HQ was at high alert. After the Orbital Strikes had wiped out half the Hegemony's forces on the planet, this unit had stepped in, taking command over the rest. A fleet of gunships kept patrol over the skies while well over a battalion of SBU units patrolled the ground. They weren't going to be taken by surprise.

Shepard didn't try. He simply called an airstrike. Now that Bane Regiment had taken down the anti aircraft guns, the Republic could deploy their limited old Batarian and Alliance fighters to clear the sky of gunships.

The squadron of fighters approached at maximum speed. Spreading out in a V formation, they closed in for the attack.

The fighters opened fire when they achieved target lock. Streaks of hypervelocity rounds hit their targets. One by one the gunships went down.

This was followed by a second wave. This time they opened fire at the surrounding defences of the base with torpedoes. The torpedoes, each a 500 g explosive pellet launched at mach 4 hit the targets, destroying machine gun turrets, and other few defences.

Shepard followed this with a three pronged attack.

From the east, Bane Regiment attacked, using a captured Hegemony tank to push through heavy machine guns.

From the west of the base, Morek with his scouts, alongside Kasumi and the rest of the geths advanced, using snipers to pick off any defenders.

From the south Tylath and his krogans, alongside the Roloi operatives and Shepard charged the defences, using their heavy weapons to blow apart any defender foolish enough to get in their way.

They came to a stop before the bunker, once the defences were cleared through.

Signalling the rest to do the same, Shepard brought out his submachine gun and stacked up against the door.

Counting down from three to one with his fingers, he used his omni tool to hack into the door.

He braced himself,then pushed open the door. The response was immediate. Machine gun fire tore through the opening, striking anything in their path.He waited for a lull in the incoming fire and then threw a grenade through the opening, followed by his two drones.

The explosion, followed by the sound of shooting inside gave Shepard and his allies the opening they needed.

Led by Tylath, who to the surprise of everyone, had picked up a metal plate from one of the fallen gunships , and was using it like a riot shield, having quickly forged a handle with his omni tool and another fallen piece of metal.

As soon as the door was completely opened, the machine gun started firing again. The ones behind Tylath, including Shepard started firing concussive shots at a arc, while others started tossing grenades.

One of the grenades or concussive shots must have hit the gunner, if not killed, as the machine gun fire lulled. Not that it stopped the other defenders, having now dealt with the drones, they started firing at the attackers.

Tylath charged, holding his shield with one hand. With his other,he tossed a incendiary grenade. The defenders scattered, but one of them wasn't lucky enough and was burned in the explosion.

Taking out his shotgun,he shot the nearest defenders. One of the defenders shot him from behind, but his shield and armour helped stop the rounds. The defender was shot by Shepard.

Shepard moved further into the base, sighting on a target, firing until it dropped, then moving on to the next target. This took him considerably less time, having channeled his suite's equally into his weapons and shields, giving him far more mobility and firepower than he was ever used to. Something he put to good use.

Within minutes of their breaching the bunker, all the defenders were dead.

Shepard informed the Republic HQ, while Everiss got all the data from the considerably large data centre at the bunker. Once he was done, he asked Everiss.

 _How is it going, Everiss?_ _Jackpot, Shepard. It's all here. Troop deployment, ships, supply stations, and even contingency plans._ _Good. Let's end this battle, shall we?_

Over the course of next week, they did end it. Using the intel recovered from the SBU command bunker, the Republic and Shepard carried out pinpoint strikes on command structures across the planet, striking at vital chokepoints, while simultaneously recovering more intel, and capturing vehicles and gunships.

Once the planet was mostly secure, Republic scouts, led by Morek and assisted by Shepard, began clearing out the system. They systematically carried out rapid strikes across the system, on major concentrations of Batarian forces, first disabling or destroying the remaining ships, then using airstrikes and in viable cases, orbital strikes to clear out defences, followed by a rapid ground assault.

At the end of the third week of Shepard's stay in the system, it was clear of most hegemony forces, with stragglers being picked off by the scouts.

At the beginning of the 4th week, Shepard and his allies, including Morek with two squads of personally selected scouts left on board the Carrack. Before leaving Shepard had met with the Republic high command and had given them the extra intel recovered by Everiss. Combined with the fact that Shepard's assistance had allowed them to capture at least a quarter of the hegemony equipment and resources in the system, including ships, among which was a newer Hegemony cruiser ( A geth Infiltration squad had simply boarded the vessel and shut off the air support system, before proceeding to let in squads of scouts in EVA suits, who proceeded to systematically kill any survivor lucky enough to get to an eva suit or oxygen mask, capturing the ship within thirty minutes), they were quite okay with letting a couple of squads accompany Shepard on his mission.

They reached Noveria in a few days.

Arriving at Noveria, Shepard found most of the preparations ready, with last minute adjustments being done by AI controlled shipyard to the Normandy. He also found that most of his crew were looking, and some demanding answers.

Having forestalled all questions by the crew and his team, he now stood before them in a conference room, ready to address, what he guessed from the looks on the face of his crew and team, quite a few questions.

" Alright. You've all been patient, and waited out this long for your questions to be answered. Now, i will answer them one by one."

" Why are we taking mechs, Batarians, not to mention the Vorcha on board ?" This was from a crew member, who while having given up Cerberus, was still inclined against aliens, particularly non citadel species.

" Because we need them. We're going up against a force that is powerful. We have no idea of their numbers, but given the fact we barely managed to escape with our lives just a month and half before, we're going to be in for a fight. And it's about time, someone else other than us step in to save the galaxy."

" Is that why you brought the Geth with you? " came the retort from an angry Quarian .

Shepard looked straight at his friend, who was now giving him the death stare to end all death stares. " Yes. Why is that a problem? You got along with Legion"

" Legion is just one geth, and he's different. But you brought a whole geth platoon. How could you be so stupid, you boshet !" She stopped, wringing her hand.

" I trust them, Tali. Just as I trust Legion."

" But-

" No buts, Tali. They're here to stay, whether you like it or no. Same goes for you all" he said, shifting his gaze to the rest of them.

" Now, there is someone else who'll like to say hello" Everiss, now.

On the conference table, a holographic projection, a grey and white appeared.

" Greetings, everyone. My name is Everiss."

" An AI!... Shepard, are you mad!? An indignant Tali asked.

" No. Everiss is a symbiote. He'll learn from me through a implant. "

That opened up a cacophony of questions, which he silenced before saying

" Look, we already have an AI. Having another would only make a good difference"

" Shepard's right." Said Garrus.

" Maybe. But having an AI, not to mention an untested variant of an AI could be more risky than its potential value."

" I'm fully tested and all my operational capacities are at optimum levels. Besides,

the captain likes me" came the swift reply from the one being discussed.

" Yes, i do. Also, i would appreciate you not talking about Everiss like he's a tool. He thinks and possibly feels. Treat him like you would treat a sentient being."

At that moment, a frustrated Tali let out a combination of a growl and a grunt and marched out of the room. Shaking his head, Shepard told the rest of them that this meeting was over and questions about the ship would be answered on the day before departure. He then left the room, hoping to find his friend and talk to her.

He managed to find her after a while but not to talk to her. In fact, for the next couple of weeks, whenever he would approach to talk, she would be busy. Eventually after the end of the first week, he stopped going to talk to her out of his way. He hoped she would eventually come around to talk to him and hopefully stay even after their hopefully not one way mission to the collector homeworld.

Now here he was on the day of the tour of the completed Normandy, with an unresolved issue with his engineer, all the while an unrelenting sense of dread was pressing down on him.

He calmed down when he reached his destination, docking bay NM, the private dock and construction bay for the Normandy. Arriving, he found that he was the last one to arrive.

Seeing him approach, Krcys said " There's the man we've been waiting for. Captain, your crew is here and ready. Are you ready to see your ship?"

" Yeah, I'm ready. Let's begin the tour."

" Yes. Yes. Let us indeed begin."

The Tour began at the outside. Everyone but Shepard and Krcys were stunned by the sight of the new Normandy. For one, it was huge. Nearly twice the size of SR 2. Another fact was the look. Whereas the SR2 was white and black, this ship was a pure black with three red stripes. Whereas the old ship looked benign, this one looked menacing. Finally, there was the motto. Just below the ship's name, was these words - once more unto the breach.

As the crew stood, Krcys began rattling off numbers

" The Ship now is 330 metre in length, with a width of 200 meters and a height of 90 meters. This was the largest we could make the ship with its current design.The outer layer of the hull is made of an improved version of Silaris heavy ship armour. "

" How thick is the plating?"

" 48 inches."

That brought a gasp from the crew. Ship plating of that size was completely unheard of in case of frigates, and even in cruisers to a lesser extent. The cost was simply astronomical for such armour to be made available. The fact that Normandy now had armour equivalent to that of the heaviest turian cruisers made it a unique ship.

" The shields are CBT shields."

They continued inside into the hangar. Once again, the crew were stunned. Inside what was twice the size of SR2's hangar bay was another ship, alongside what looked like a Kodiak shuttle, only bigger and bulkier not to mention heavily armed. Also present were a Mako IFV and a Hammerhead AFV, again modified. The last were two heavily armoured mechs, with their cockpits open. The crew's attention was held by the big ship and the Mechs.

" That is the Tempest. At a length of 20 metres, a width of 10 metres and a height of 3 metres, it is a fast attack Corvette as well as a dropship."

" Is that a Thanix cannon?" asked Garrus.

" Yes, indeed. The Tempest is armed with a single Thanix cannon, although a much smaller one. " Krcys replied before shifting his attention to the rest of the vehicles.

" The UT 49AT Kodiak was specially made for this ship. It's a single unit custom variant of the Kodiak. It now sports 6 inches of Silaris Heavy ship armour, kinetic barriers, and a twin mass accelerator cannons. It's also equipped with state of the art stealth systems."

" This particular M35 Mako has been modified to have the same 6inch armour as the Kodiak, alongside twin 155mm mass accelerator cannons, a single 50 calibre machine gun, improved H fuel cell and eezo cores. The shields have also been improved"

" The M48 Hammerhead has been upgraded to have the same armour plating, shields and a single HMG, similar to the Mako."

He finally turned to the two mech suites, painted the same as the Normandy. " The Balrog Tank Walker is based off the old Turian military walkers, the Volus powered armours and the Atlas mech from your former employers- the last he said with more than a hint of contempt in his voice- It is armoured with 8 inches of Silaris Heavy ship armour, and is equipped with powerful kinetic barriers.As you can see, the Balrog is armed with a heavy machine gun on its left arm, and a heavy rocket launcher on its right. It also is armed with a M920 cain battery on its shoulders. The Balrog carries multiple thrusters for high altitude drops and is equipped with a pilot ejection seat."

He stopped, then led the crew to the next level.

" Engineering, and Cargo deck. This also now houses the AI cores, the Tech Lab, and the Fabrication bay " He stopped and led them to the next deck.

" This is Crew deck. Here, there's a dorm for the ship crew and quarters for the rest, with a combined capacity of 300. This deck also hosts most of the lifepods of the ship." Without stopping, he led them to the elevator and unto the next deck.

" This deck, Deck 3 now houses the Mess Hall, Medbay, the Battery, the Recreation Lounge, the observation rooms, and the Armoury." He then led them to Deck 2.

" Deck 2 houses the CIC, the QECs, the War room, The XO's cabin, the Research lab and the Bridge. Finally, there's the Captain's cabin in Deck 1, which is now refurbished to include a private QEC, armoury, among other amenities. I'll now leave you all to get settled for your journey." He left, followed by Shepard.

Stopping outside the ship, Shepard asked " is everything loaded and ready?"

" Yes. Good luck, Shepard. Try not die again" with that parting remark Krcys left.

Yeah I'll try. Everiss?

Yes, Shepard?

Tell the crew to settle down and prepare to liftoff. Coordinate with EDI, and patch me through to her.

EDI had been transferred into her new core, which gave her the same versatility and power as Everiss, without the symbiont process.

" Commander?" he heard EDI's voice on the comm.

" How's the new core, EDI?"

" Much better, I have calculated my efficiency has been improved by 120%."

" I'll take your word for it. Coordinate with Everiss and get the ship ready for lift off. I'll be in cabin."

" As you wish, Commander. Logging you off".

The ship approached the Omega 4 Relay a week later. A week had been spent by the crew familiarising themselves with the new systems and the two AIs. The AIs themselves had established a friendly rapport, their need for synthetic company other than walking hive minds was all that they needed for motive.

The Away team had also been adjusting. Old and new members did their best to build understanding amongst them based upon their show. This was not an easy process, and disagreements and missteps were made and resolved, the cooler heads amongst them, Samara, Thane, Legion, and surprisingly Grunt, playing the peacekeepers, although in Grunt's case, the motivation was mostly to prevent the ship from being blown apart and the crew spaced before they could reach the big fight promised by his battlemaster.

Speaking of the battlemaster, no one had seen Shepard in the entirety of the journey to the Omega 4 Relay.

Said Battlemaster was putting on his helmet. His weapons and equipment was already stored on his person, the weapons on his back, the rest on the storage compartment in his armour.

The Intercom rang and Joker spoke. " Commander, We're on final approach to the relay. ETA 2 hours."

" Go ahead. I'm on my way."

" Copy that. " The comn switched off.

Joker hummed an old earth song, while making final checks for the activation of the Reaper IFF, helped by his two advisors, EDI and Everiss.

He had initially been wary of the new AI. EDI he trusted because she was his friend, although he admitted to his private self that he wouldn't mind exploring whether they could be more. She had saved his life and the life of the Normandy crew with her actions. She had repaid his trust in her, by trust redoubled.

Everiss though was different. He was new and different, and that had made Joker naturally wary of him. But Joker did trust Shepard, and it was quite evident to Joker and everyone else that Shepard trusted him. The fact that Everiss had almost a direct connection to his brain was a testament to that.

So Joker had kept an open mind about a second AI, and had done his best to work with him. The result had been of tremendous benefit to him. As it had been to the crew as both of them worked together to ease him and the crew into the intricacies of the Normandy's upgrades.

The upgrades themselves were beyond anything Joker could have imagined. The thrusters had twice the output as the previous one, while a multi reactor fusion power plant provided thrice the previous power outputs. The new weapons had been checked and Joker was simply astounded by the firepower. The ship, with the Thanix cannon, Thanix missiles, nukes and what not had enough firepower to rival a dreadnought if not outpower it. Not to mention the dropship below in the hanger itself could probably take out a cruiser easily by itself.

Then the rest- from the shields to the better food… all of it had convinced him to believe in the Normandy and its captain more than ever.

Joker was shaken out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder. Looking up he found Shepard standing behind him, looking at the approaching relay.

Once on final approach, EDI spoke out " Reaper IFF is online Shepard. Please confirm destination."

" Let's make it happen."

" Aye Aye, Commander" Joker confirmed before he switched to the ship wide comn system and speaking " Approaching Omega 4 Relay. Everyone Stand By."

At the pinnacle of the ship's approach, EDI spoke again " Reaper IFF activated. Signal Acknowledged."

" Commander, the drive core just lit up like a Christmas tree" Shepard heard Jacob through his suit's comms.

" Drive core electrical charge approaching critical levels" Everiss spoke for the first time.

Hearing that, Joker tapped several keys on the holographic keyboard and rerouted non essential power, saying " Rerouting".

The Normandy, as it just entered the Relay's range, was captured by element zero currents discharged by the relay, which engulfed the craft, and using the currents, accelerated it into mass relay speed and flung it towards its destination.

Within seconds, the extraordinary power of the relay had taken them to its destination, heralded by EDI intoning over the ship wide comms " Brace for deceleration."

The Normandy emerged from the relay jump, straight in front of a huge debri.

" Oh shit!" Joker intently began taking the ship through the debri, performing intense maneuvers that had the ship barely dodging the debri. He then with a few keystrokes took the ship straight above the debri.

" Phew! That was too close."

" Multiple Collector ships headed straight towards us, Jeff!"

" Arm all weapons. Prepare Thanix missiles with Reezo warheads. Let's see how tough they really are. "

" Aye Aye Commander."

The Normandy deployed her new main gun, while at the same time one of her faithful crew, Garrus prepared the Thanix missiles for firing.

Once again, the bigger yet still nimble ship began dodging golden beams of death fired by the massive ships of the collector. After spinning in an upward spiral to dodge two beams fired at her, she opened fire with all her fury.

It was a fury to behold. Two streaks fired by her reached their targets, two of the behemoths quickly, dodging golden beams fired at them.

The missiles detonated, creating small singularities that tore at the ships, literally vaporising the hull,before vanishing in another huge explosion, leaving nothing but empty space and debri.

She followed this by a thin blue beam that slammed into the third ship, breaking apart its hull and into the core. The resultant explosion turned the ship into a mass of debri.

Joker cursed as a beam from another ship hit the Normandy, causing the shield to drop by nearly ten percent. He responded with another round from the Thanix cannons, clipping the ship on its bow, then fired the twin E class mass accelerator cannons for the first time.

The two 30Kg Eezo enhanced projectile hit the target, piercing through the hull and inside. The ship exploded, sending debri directly at the Normandy.

Joker maneuvered the ship away from the debri, and forward.

" I'm picking up a massive energy signature near the accretion disk, Jeff."

" That's gotta be the Collector base. Take us closer, Joker."

" Roger, going in." Joker increased the thruster power.

The Normandy sped towards its destination, rounding a final debri block, to come upon a sight that chilled its crew to the bone.

It was not a base they had found. In front of them was a massive relay, thrice the size of the citadel. The black core of the relay was giving of tremendous emissions. That was the power signature.

But it wasn't that which brought fear to the watching crew. Rather, it was the ship guarding the relay.

It was a Reaper.

At the sight of the Normandy, it opened its tentacles, red energy pooling in its centre as it prepared to fire at the frigate.

" Brace for evasive maneuvers!" Joker put the ship into a spin, diving just below the red beam of death as it sped past the ship. Yet the ship didn't escape unscathed. The heat of the beam melted away parts of the plating, the ship surviving only due to the shields directing away most of the damage.

Coming out of the spin, Joker spun it around towards the Reaper, zigzagging to dodge the beams fired by it. Finding a clean shot, he fired the ships weapons in rapid succession. Thanix cannon and missiles, Javelin torpedoes and a series of mass accelerator rounds all rang out and rushed towards the Reaper, while Joker turned the ship away from it.

The Reaper attempted to dodge the incoming fire, but there was simply too many and too fast for that. It also was at a disadvantage due to its massive size, being a proper Reaper and not a cannon fodder like Sovereign.

The result was nothing short of disastrous for it. The first to hit were the Mass accelerator rounds. While they weren't powerful enough to penetrate its shields, they were powerful enough to deplete it a few notches.

Then hit the Thanix missiles. Twin singularities tore through its shields and into its plating, vaporising chunks of it, leaving it wounded like an old dragon with one its wings clipped.

The old giant managed to knock the disruptors away with its powerful point defence batteries, and fire another beam at the returning Normandy.

The nimble ship dodged the beam before firing back with what proved to be the Reaper's doom. At the command of its pilot, the ship fired its Thanix cannon once again.

The blue herald of death hit the old giant. Seeping and burning away the plates into its core, the beam cut into it, ringing the death knell for the giant. It was torn apart, succumbing to its wounds, and exploding into pieces.

Yet before dying, it had played one last trick on the brave souls abroad its foe. Within its dying moment, it sent a signal to the gigantic mass relay behind it.

The signal activated the relay, increasing its power and maximising its gravitational pull, catching the small ship in its web.

Joker cursed as the ship was pulled towards the relay. He fought with the thrusters, trying to get away but to no avail.

EDI and Everiss called out " All hands, brace for relay jump!" as the black energy from the relay caught the ship, then with a massive power surge that rocked it, the ship was flung into the unknown.

Far away, in some time, some place, a mighty being looked at her sensors. Seeing the small craft struggling through the multiverse void she decided to help out.

Locking onto its signal, she found it was a human vessel, but the crew was not. But that wasn't important to her. What was important was the ship would be an anomaly in her self's dimension. It would bring change and she had long recognised change was needed. After all, that is why she'd created this piece of herself, to find a way to bring change. This ship presented an opportunity for such an change. Not to mention the chance to make some amends perhaps.

The Librarian turned back towards her sensors. She used the hologram to lock on it's signature, and then fired an guidance pulse.

She watched as the pulse enveloped the ship, then pulled it towards her dimension, before shutting the sensors down and walking away.

 **Author's Note-**

 **There we are, First chapter done.**

 **I stopped where i stopped for a reason.**

 **I want you readers suggest to me entry points into the modern Halo Universe, during Covenant War perhaps.**

 **So read and leave the suggestions in reviews.**

 **N7 Kairos**

 **Signing Off.**


	3. Author's Note (02-08 00:57:17)

Okay.

considering the last chapter, a lot of people are objecting to the Normandy taking on a Covenant frigate.

Also, 25 gigaton? Paris class frigates having 25 gigatons of firepower is just ridiculous.

And considering their's no actual yield given for the Shiva, not in Halo wiki, well I'm at a loss.

but, in any case, I'm taking down the chapter tonight, and will after another bout of research and rewrite, post it, or a bigger chapter.

I'm not going to take someone's word as fact without verification.

Not going to downplay any faction.

Till then,

N7 Kairos.


	4. Author's Note (03-10 03:26:05)

I thought this important enough a topic to create this author's note.

A few of the readers have been hellbent on their opinion that Halo tech is better and more powerful than ME and they keep harping about how I've been nerfing covenant ship and all that..

Out of all that, they were right about the Laser, i admit it and have corrected it.

But the rest-

What a load of Crap.

1) **This is a fanfic. That is not canon. So i can do whatever the hell i want.**

2) UNSC shipborne macs have - According to calculation based on given statistics, a blast coming from a shipborne MAC has 58.16 kilotons of force. The given math is as follows. In order to find the force behind an object, you must take the velocity(30,000 m/s) and square it (900,000,000) then multiply that by the projectile weight (540,784 kg) and then divide that number by 2. This gives us 243 terajoules of energy approximately 2.5 times as powerful as the more powerful Fat Man atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki in World War II." (Quoted from Halo Nation)

58.16 kilotons. The highest comes to about 25 megatons for the Infinity.

In contrast, the Normandy in my fan fic has missiles with 10 megaton and above payloads that concentrate their full energy into a small pinpoint zone.. the Thanix accelerates liquid uranium, tungsten carbide etc to a Significant fraction of the speed of light, which I'm going to take in the upper single digits, that's anything between 6-10% of C(lightspeed).. last i checked, a Thanix firing at 4.2 % speed of light would have upwards of 100( the SR 2 fired at 1.3/5 for a yield of about 48kilotons in the max range) kilotons for a frigate.

4) Eezo, Reezo is used here by the Normandy to enhance the slugs on its secondary mass accelerators. They'd have well beyond the yield of a normal MAC.

4) The thanix missiles have freaking Reezo warheads with yields upwards of 30 megatons, at least. that's how it took the Reaper out.

5) The Silaris armour is made of CNT, Carbon Nanotubes- carbon is the strongest material around. "compressed CNT sheets enhanced by synthetic polycrystalline diamonds from a Chemical Vapor Deposition process" that's way more effective than Titanium would ever be, on a real life, real science basis itself.

And then this Normandy has 64inches of it, not to mention the layers upon layers of ablative armour. So yes, it can take a few hits from the covenant.

As you can see, the Normandy here isn't the SR 2. So stop harping about how this can't happen and that can't happen.

as for nerfing the covenant, i didn't. Covenant are only just getting started.

So maybe have some patience and keep reading. Or not and leave.

I'm okay with either.

To my new readers, Welcome.


	5. New Realities

Ensign William Lovell had just finished logging the large mass when another signal came through. On the screen, it was detected as unknown energy, moments before a blackish white breach opened and deposited an unidentified contact.

Lovell quickly sent off a priority comm to the Sigma Octanus Com and then proceeded to enact Cole protocol. Selective data purges, followed by triple checks and viral data scavengers.

He then waited for an UNSC response, holding his breath in fear.

The Normandy was flung out of the relay space in an violent lurch, ending with the ship drifting in normal space as the crew worked to restore function to major systems.

Shepard got up from the corner he had been flung to and moved to the pilot's chair. He found Joker unconscious, emergency oxygen mask attached. He was bleeding from the nose, and the corner of the mouth. Bringing up the diagnostic tool on his omni tool, Shepard found that his pilot had broken one of his ribs. Fortunately, the emergency system installed had already injected medigel into the injured areas, preventing any further damage.

Checking up on EDI in the copilot's seat, he found her platform inactive. Pushing away his immediate concern, he checked on the third person aside from him present in the bridge.

 _Everiss, you alright?_

Negative Commander, experiencing fluctuations in AI core.

 _Shit. Go into protective mode. I'll ask Mordin to help once the crew is secure._

 _Okay, Shep_.

It took him ten minutes to get some of the away team to coordinate recovery efforts, while he moved deck to deck, lending a hand where required. Unsurprisingly, the first to recover were Tylath and his krogans. They had been spread across the decks in groups of two and three, as part of an strategy hy Shepard to always have an effective response team in all decks in case of an attack, especially a boarding action. Also active were the geth.Together, they began quickly patching up damage and helping recovery of the crew.

However, as he was about to find out, the Normandy's troubles had just started.

Commander Jacob Keyes stood on the bridge, hands on the rails of his new command, the Iroquois. A destroyer, the ship sported two MACs, twenty six oversized archer missile pods and three shiva nukes. It also sported two metres of Titanium AAA, from stern to stem, which made it a formidable ship. Yet, he was worried. The war with the covenant wasn't going well. Humanity was losing colonies rapidly. All that was left were inner colonies and the various rebels and insurrectionists out there. UNSC was expecting covenant attack daily. Which is what made him worry. The Iroquois had rolled out of the docks mere three months ago. Her crew were mostly green, and it lacked an AI. The complex artificial intelligence computer programs were in short supply. What made him worry the most were his bridge crew. Lieutenant Jaggers on navigation, Lieutenant Hall on Ops, and Lieutenant Hiwoka on Weapons were all problematic. Hall was always trying to impress him, mostly by smiling and getting one over other crew members, Hiwoka was less than energetic, which he realised could be battle fatigue, considering her service record. But Jaggers was the major trouble. He was moody, and when Keyes had first came abroad, his eyes were glazed. Despite the test coming negative, Keyes knew the man had been drinking on duty. The only member of the bridge crew he was sure of was Lieutenant Dominique. A former student of his, he had transferred from Paris to Luna, then finally to his ship.

Said Lieutenant suddenly shouted.

" Sir! Priority Alpha from Sigma Octanus post. Unknown contact!"

Keyes froze for a brief second, a chill travelling down his spine. Then he reacted.

"Lieutenant Dominique, get FLEETCOM ASAP. Priority Alpha."

The Lieutenant snapped straight in his chair. "Yes, sir!"

"Bring us about to course zero four seven, Lieutenant Jaggers. Lieutenant Hall, push the reactors to one

hundred ten percent."

"Aye, Commander," Lieutenant Jaggers replied.

"Reactor running hot, sir," Hall reported. "Now exceeding recommended operational parameters."

"ETA?"

Jaggers calculated, then looked up. "Forty-three minutes," he replied.

"Too slow," Commander Keyes muttered. "Reactor to one hundred thirty percent, Lieutenant Hall."

She hesitated. "Sir?"

"Do it!"

"Yes, sir!" She moved as if someone had electrically shocked her.

" Sir, Fleetcom online."

Bringing up his screen, he found the face of Admiral Whitcomb.

" Ah, the schoolmaster. This better be good son, for you to call Priority channel."

" Sir, unknown contact detected by Sigma Octanus station. Iroquois is on its way to intercept. I request all available ships to rendezvous on us at Sigma Octanus Four at emergency speed. "

" Unknown contact. Covenant?"

" When is it not sir? Matches with their modus operandi "

" Very well, you'll get all the help we can give" The comm was cut.

" Remove all weapon safeties. Arm all missile pods, and start charging the MAC. Prepare a nuke for launch as well." _And hope we reach in time._

" So we are dead in space."

" Yes, the FTL drive is down, and we have not detected any mass relays. However the Sublight engines are working at full capacity. "

" What about weapon systems?"

" Primary capacitors are down for both the Thanix and the mass accelerators. However the secondary capacitors will allow us to fire either one of them at a time. "

" How long till the primary capacitors are back online?"

"Six hours to a day, Shepard"

" What about the torpedoes and missiles?"

" They're online and ready to fire. "

Joker spoke over the intercom. _Commander, I'm detecting unknown anomalies at the edge of the system._

 _I'm on my way, Joker. EDI, tell Garrus to arm the Thanix cannons and a Thanix missile._

An alarm sounded at ops. "Reactor hysteresis approaching failure levels," Lieutenant Hall reported.

"Superconducting magnets overloading. Coolant breakdown imminent."

"Vent primary coolant and pump in the reserve tanks," Commander Keyes ordered. "That will buy us

another five minutes."

"Yes, sir."

" Sir, four slipspace signatures detected. It's the Covenant."

As he checked his screen, Keyes felt a shiver go down his spine. Two of the ships were a pair of frigates. But the rest of the two were a destroyer and a carrier. Enough to slag an entire UNSC battlegroup,let alone my own ship. Keyes continued staring intently at his screen, lips set in a grim line as he tried to think of something, some way to save the day. In the meantime he and his crew would complete their final duty.

"Lieutenant Jaggers," he said, "initiate the Cole Protocol. Purge our navigation databases, and then

generate an appropriate randomized exit vector from the Sigma Octanus System."

"Yes, sir." He fumbled with his controls. He hung his head, steadied his hands, and slowly typed in thecommands.

"Lieutenant Hall: make preparations to override reactor safeties."

His junior officers all paused for a second. "Aye, sir," Lieutenant Hall whispered.

The brave ship and her crew stormed towards their enemy, expecting nothing but death, but still going on, intent on making their death count the only way they knew how, saving others.

Joker cursed as he saw the four ships emerge. The first thing that came to mind was that they were huge. The second thought that he had was taken away by what EDI said next.

" Jeff, I'm detecting significant power build up along the ship. Recommend immediate evasive maneuvers."

Joker, his instinct and EDI urging him on,put the ship in a dive, just as Shepard reached the bridge, the harsh movement of the ship nearly throwing him off, before he steadied himself.

The Normandy dove just in time to dodge a searing beam of plasma.Yet it didn't escape unscathed. The heat of the beam tore through the shielding and into the hull, searing it into a crater . This was quickly followed by several globules of plasma, torpedoes, which followed the ship.

Joker cursed as the sensors told him of the following torpedoes. Coming out of the dive, he activated the point defence system, and pushing the thrusters to max burn, while at the same time calling out to EDI

" Reroute all secondary power to the shields, and find me a weak spot in the ship"

The Iroquois came out of their burn within range of the battle. Keyes and the bridge crew's eyes widened as they saw a small ship, black with streaks of red, neutralize several plasma torpedoes with what looked like some kind lasers. But what followed next stunned them.

The small ship banked, pointing its nose at the nearest covenant vessel, before it fired.

The Normandy opened up with it's crippled but still formidable arsenal on the nearest ship. Guessing that the ship will intercept some of their fire, it fired four volleys of javelin torpedoes, then a Thanix missile.

As predicted, the powerful point defence of the vessel swatted away the torpedoes. However this gave Joker the time to fire the Thanix cannons.

The beam of liquid metal accelerated to hyper velocities struck the ship, sparking it's shields, as it struggled to prevent damage. But that ceased to matter when the Thanix missile exploded. This time armed with an eezo enhanced fusion warhead, the missile had sneaked in through a slight gap in the point defence system. The resulting 10 megaton explosion blew a hole through the ship, caving in its hull, air and materials leaking out from the gaps. The ship, for all intents and purposes, was dead in the water.

Capitalising on the momentary pause, and using the debri as cover, Joker moved the ship away from the rest of the ships.

The bridge was silent, stunned from the spectacle that took place right before their eyes, seconds ago.

Keyes's mind was freezing just from understanding the significance of the seemingly impossible events. He had just seen a ship barely a little more than half of his ship in size go toe to toe with an Covenant vessel and not only come out intact, but destroy the Covenant ship.

Keyes shook off his stupor, drawing on his training. He couldn't afford to allow distractions, not when he had a battle to win.

"Continue at emergency speed," he ordered, "and come about to heading zero three two."

Lieutenant Jaggers swiveled in his seat. "That will put us on collision course with their destroyer, sir."

"I know," Commander Keyes replied. "In fact, I'm counting on doing just that."

One of the frigate having been destroyed, the carrier moved towards the planet, while the destroyer and frigate moved moved towards them.

"Detecting high levels of beta particle radiation," Lieutenant Dominique said. "They're getting ready to

fire their plasma weapons, Commander."

"Course correction, sir?" Lieutenant Jaggers asked. His fingers tapped in a new heading bound out--

" Maintain course. Arm all archer pods. Lieutenant Hiwoka, prepare a Shiva nuke for launch. Are the Macs ready to fire? "

" Yes sir, MAC one and two at full charge"

" Target the Destroyer, and prepare to fire on my mark.Mark!"

The Magnetic Accelerator Cannons of the Iroquois rang out in a one-two punch. Twin streaks of white, travelling at tremendous speeds neared the destroyer. Seeing the two projectiles come, the ship banked in an attempt to escape them. It was only partly successful. One of the rounds passed through the shield, taking it out. The other hit the ship dead centre, crumpling the hull like paper, creating a hole almost halfway through the ship.

The crew of the underdog however had no time to celebrate.

"Contact! Contact!" Lieutenant Dominique shouted. "Enemy plasma torpedoes away, sir!"

Scarlet lightning erupted from the alien ships, twin bolts of fire streaked through the darkness. They

looked as if they could burn space itself. The torpedoes were on a direct course for the Iroquois .

"Course correction, sir?" Lieutenant Jagger's' voice broke with strain. His uniform was soaked with

perspiration.

"Lieutenant Jaggers, transfer emergency thruster controls to my station."

"Yes . . . yes, sir."

The emergency thrusters were tanks of trihydride tetrazine and hydrogen peroxide. When they mixed,

they did so with explosive force—literally blasting the Iroquois onto a new course. The ship had six such

tanks strategically placed on hardened points on the hull.

"Collision with plasma in seven seconds" shouted Dominique.

Keyes waited.

Plasma filled the forescreen; the center of the red mass turned blue. Greens and yellows radiated

outward, the light frequencies blue-shifting in spectra.

"Distance three hundred thousand kilometers," Lieutenant Dominique said. "Collision in two seconds."

Keyes waited a second, before hitting the thrusters. The Iroquois was thrust away from the torpedoes.

The view screen was full of fire and the bridge was suddenly hot.

Commander Keyes stood. He counted the beats of his pounding heart. _One, two, three—_

If they had been hit by the plasma, there wouldn't be anything to count. They would be dead already.

Only one view screen was working now, however. "Aft camera," he said.

The twin blots of fire streaked along their trajectories for a moment, then lazily arced, continuing their pursuit of the Iroquois . One pulled slightly ahead of its counterpart, so they appeared now like two blazing eyes.

Commander Keyes marveled at the aliens' ability to direct that plasma from such a great distance.

"Good," he murmured to himself. "Chase us all the way to hell, you bastards.

"Track them," he ordered Lieutenant Hall.

"Aye, sir," she said. Her perfectly groomed hair was tousled. "Plasma increasing velocity. Matching our speed . . . overtaking our velocity now. They will intercept in forty-three seconds."

"Course correction," he told Lieutenant Jaggers. "Come about to heading zero zero four point two five.Declination zero zero zero point one eight."

"Aye, sir," Jaggers said. "Zero zero four point two five. Declination zero zero zero point one eight."

The view screen turned and centered on the enormous Covenant destroyer.

"Collision course!" Lieutenant Hall announced. "Impact with Covenant destroyer in eight seconds."

"Stand by for new course correction: declination minus zero zero zero point one zero."

"Aye, sir." As Jaggers typed he wiped the sweat from his eyes and double-checked his numbers.

"Course online. Awaiting your order, sir."

"Collision with Covenant destroyer in five seconds," Hall said. She clutched the edge of her seat.

The destroyer grew in the view screen: laser turrets and launch bays, bulbous alien protrusions and flickering blue lights.

"Hold this course," Commander Keyes said. "Sound collision alarm. Switch to undercarriage camera now."

Klaxons blared.

The view screen snapped off and on and showed black space—then a flash of the faint purple-blue hull of a Covenant ship.

The Iroquois screeched and shuddered as she grazed the prow of the Covenant destroyer. Silver shields flickered on screen—then the screen filled with static.

"Course correction now!" Commander Keyes shouted.

"Aye, sir."

There was a brief burn from the thrusters and the Iroquois nudged down slightly.

"Hull breach!" Lieutenant Hall said. "Sealing pressure doors."

"Aft camera," Commander Keyes said. "Guns: Fire aft Archer missile pods!"

"Missiles away," Lieutenant Hikowa replied.

Keyes watched as the first of the plasma torpedoes that had been trailing the Iroquois impacted on the prow of the alien destroyer. The ship's shields flared, flickered . . . and vanished. The second bolt hit a moment later. The hull of the alien ship blazed and then turned red-hot, melted, and boiled. Secondary explosions burst through the hull.

The Archer missiles streaked toward the wounded Covenant ship, tiny trails of exhaust stretching from the Iroquois to the target. They slammed into the gaping wounds in the hull and detonated. Fire and debris burst from the destroyer.

" Lieutenant Hiwoka, target covenant frigate, fire remaining archer pods and launch the nuke"

"Aye sir!"

The wounded ship opened fire again, over a hundred missiles streaking through the void and towards the enemy. These were only the cover for the real weapon. A Shiva nuke.

The enemy's point defence shot down some of the missile, the rest hitting the frigate directly, closely followed by the nuke, exploding just before the hull. Together they were enough to stop the covenant dead in its track.

"Get us away, Lieutenant. "

The Iroquois drifted away from the covenant debri.

"Engine coolant failure, sir," Lieutenant Hall said.

"Shut the engines down," he ordered. "Emergency vent."

"Aye, sir. Venting fusion reactor plasma."

The Iroquois was abruptly quiet. No rumble of her engines. And no one said anything until Lieutenant

Hikowa stood and said, "Sir, that was the most brilliant maneuver I have ever seen."

Commander Keyes gave a short laugh. "You think so, Lieutenant?"

If one of his students had proposed such a maneuver in his tactics class, he would have given them a C. He would have told them their maneuver was full of bravado and daring . . . but extremely risky, placing

the crew in the ship in unnecessary danger.

" Position of the Carrier?"

" Lieutenant Hall paused, then reported,

"In polar orbit around Sigma Octanus Four. Sir.."

" What is it lieutenant?"

" The unknown ship, it's on intercept course"

Minutes ago.

The Normandy went into a slow orbit, trying to keep the planet between it and the huge ship headed towards them.

" Is it after us, Joker?" Shepard asked, standing behind him.

" It's looks like that" Joker replied.

" Take us on a low orbit slingshot" He told Joker, then contacted Miranda.

" Miranda, take a few crew and prep the Tempest for combat immediately."

" Roger that, Commander."

" Garrus, Prep another Thanix missile, and some Javelins for volley fire."

" Right away, Shepard."

 _Everiss, coordinate with EDI and Legion, and try and hack their systems. See if you can jam their weapons or comms._ _Acknowledged, Shepard._

Present Time.

The Normandy burned hard towards the enemy ship. Inside it's bridge, it's pilot asked the commander.

" Commander, you sure of this?"

" Yes, Joker. You sure you can pull this off?

" As sure as I can be, Commander." Joker responded, then went back to making adjustments.

" EDI, are your readings correct?"

" Yes, Scanners show that the planet is inhabited by well over three million humans."

" Good. Give me Miranda." ….

On the Omni tool, Miranda's face appeared. Seeing him, she greeted.

" Commander."

" What's your status?"

" We're about to reach our position. The Tempest will be ready."

" Good. Normandy out." he ended the call, then called Garrus.

" Garrus, are the munitions ready?"

" Yes, Shepard, the missile is loaded with reezo warheads, and the Thanix and Javelins are ready as well."

" Good."

" Shepard, I'm detecting multiple small crafts being launched by the ship."

" We can't let them reach. Go for it. Tell the Tempest." and let's hope Normandy survives.

Across the space, the two ships closed in at the target from opposing directions.

The Normandy and Tempest achieved target sight immediately.

The Normandy was the first to fire. Back to back volleys of Javelins, followed by A single missile rang out and headed straight for the carrier. At the same time, the Tempest launched it's payload of Javelins and fired it's Thanix, but not at the carrier. It instead went for the small craft. The Javelin torpedoes hit some of the target, disabling about a quarter of the ships. Then the thanix beam swept across the area, hitting multiple dropships yet again.

Meanwhile, the Normandy's Javelins were picked off, but when a beam hit the Thanix, it exploded, and being quite near, the carrier's shields dropped.

Finding opportunity, Joker fired the Thanix cannons. The beam of liquid metal travelling at high speeds hit the target, carving through the hull. However, before it could do too much damage, a portal opened and the ship jumped.

Instead of stopping, Joker switched fire to the small crafts, hitting as many as they could.

That's when they were hailed.

" Commander, we're detecting a unknown transmission on all frequencies. It looks like it's coming from the warship that took out the other three purple ships" the Normandy and it's crew had detected and seen the battle thanks to a probe. Shepard had been impressed, but also worried by the firepower of the other ship.

" Patch it through."

" Transmission incoming"

 _This is Lieutenant Jacob Keyes of the UNSC Navy Warship Iroquois to unidentified ship, come in.Over._

Shepard responded.

 _This is Commander Kairos Shepard of the Independent Sovereign Warship Normandy. We acknowledge. Over._

 **Author's Note.** **There. Another chapter out. Now, I'm not satisfied with this chapter exactly. I struggled with this chapter.** **Fanfiction keeps reverting my edits, and i have to do it again. That slows me down considerably. It's frustrating. Anyways,** **I hope to see your feedback. So, reviews please. Lots of them.** **Suggestions are also welcome. I'm not good with battle scenes, so i could do with some tips about them. That and dialogue.** **Also, How does a romance between Miranda Keyes and Shepard sound?** **She'll be here a lot earlier than we see her in the games.** **Finally, I have a Discord server. So, I'm inviting you all to it.** **Discord Server Name- Kairos Academy.** **Photo's that of a Reaper.**

https **/discord.gg/BvMx9NG.**

Hope **to see you all there.**

Till **then,**

 **This is N7 Kairos,**

 **Signing off.**


	6. Terms

The UT 49 AT Kodiak Heavy Stealth Shuttle skipped across space, approaching the grey metal ship that was the Iroquois. It's weapons, were offline, and it's comn channel was open in handshake frequency.

Inside the ship sat three heavily armoured individuals. A crew cut man was doing last minute checks on his weapon, a N7 Falcon. Beside him sat a black haired woman, a Locust submachine gun strapped to the magnetic clamp on the side of her suit.

On the other side was a grizzled old man, signs of long years of combat clearly visible. He was also heavily armed, with a shotgun strapped to the clamp and a assault rifle on hand.

In the middle between them sat a relatively young man in his mid twenties, presenting a stark contrast to his companions. He was wearing a black formal bodysuit instead of armour, with the word Normandy near the chest. Strapped to the only magnetic clamp on the suit was a helmet and an extra oxygen tube. He was currently talking with the fifth member of the group.

"You are sure this is a great idea?" by this, he meant his current attire.

"Yes. The ceramic and spider silk armor and carbon nanotube muscle fibre should be sufficient protection.Not to mention you still have your omni tool and the kinetic barrier. So stop worrying."

"Okay, I'll trust you. Once we are inside the ships, i want you on passive mode. No need to reveal you unless we have to."

"As you wish."

" Shepard, we have arrived" Miranda said as the slight shake of the hull announced the craft's docking.

Shepard stood up, and checked his equipment for the last time. Omni tool modified by Tali and Mordin, check. M11 Suppressed. Check. Helmet and oxygen tube. Check. Kinetic barrier at the back and ankle, check.

The door opened without a sound and he was greeted to the sight of a small grey hanger bay. Standing a dozen feet away were the welcoming party. A dozen soldiers in grey and black fatigues armed with what looked like assault rifles, flanked three officers. Two younger officers flanked a mid forties officer, all standing ramrod straight.

He walked down half the distance flanked by his team, at which point they stopped. He continued on until a couple of pace away from the greeting committee and addressed the older one man in the middle.

" Captain Keyes, I presume." He said, holding out his hand for a handshake.

The man walked forward and gripped his hand, shaking it lightly but firmly.

"Indeed. And you're Commander Shepard." At his nod, he continued.

" Shall we continue this in a more appropriate setting?"

"Of course. Lead on." They both moved inwards, leaving behind the escort as per the pre arranged terms of the meeting.

"I must thank you, Commander, for your intervention with the first vessel."

"You're welcome, but if you don't mind my being blunt, I'd like to know just what the hell I've stepped into."

" And you shall. We're here."

They had arrived at a small door, which according to the passive stealth scan program Mordin had given him, something from his STG days, was about midway through the deck.

The door, the standard white and black that seemed to complement the grey aesthetics of the ship, opened to let them into a small room, which carried on with the grey aesthetics. Inside the room were a couple of chairs, one of which Keyes proceeded to take, leaving the other on the opposite side of a small table, for Shepard.

Once they were both seated, Keyes began.

'Commander, I'll get straight to the point. The ships you fought were from the Covenant. A religious alliance of aliens who see us as the enemy. We've been at war for over 25 years and we're losing.'

To say Shepard was shocked was a understatement.

25 years! The largest and most devastating war the alliance had fought against was the pseudo-conflict against the batarians and that had been just one month.. even his own personal experiences against Saren and the collectors didn't compare.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by what Keyes said next.

'which brings us to the current problem. Despite your assistance, you and your crew are trespassing on UNSC territories and as such the high command would be more likely to treat you as a hostile than not. Unless we can come to an agreement.'

'what are you suggesting?'

'an exchange of technology perhaps.. we've scanned your ship and frankly it's completely different to what we have or encountered with the covenant. If you can provide tech that can help us, maybe there can be an agreement.'

'Okay. I'll need to think about it but i don't see why your people and my ship can't come to an agreement.'

'Then I'll escort you back to your ship now.'

'Of course.'

 **Twenty Minutes Later.**

Shepard sat down on his desk, and plugged in his omnitool.

"what have you got, Everiss?"

"Everything. I have everything. Scans of materials, weapon designs, clothing, everything."

"Good. Let's begin then. We need to know what we might be up against."

 **I'm working on some major edits to this. I also had exams. Sorry for the late upload.** **Reviews Please!.**


	7. On hold

I'm Sorry to announce I'm putting all my fanfics on hold. Things aren't good in real life... in fact it's a downright mess. Fanfic doesn't pay and i need to keep food on my table. I've considered , and maybe when i come back, I'll get one. But that is for when i come back.

Now, I'm not gonna abandon them, but until i can sort things out, there might and probably will not be any updates.

To my readers, i thank you for your time and patience.

This is N7 Kairos,

signing off.


End file.
